The scientific paper A Comprehensive Review on Current Status of Topical Odor Controlling Therapies for Chronic Wounds which has been published in the Journal of Wound Ostomy & Continence Nursing has won a prize of this journal JWOCN Clinical Manuscript Award. The authors of this paper are NLA researchers: Talgat Nurgozhin, Director, Center for Life Sciences, Timur Saliyev, Head of Laboratory of Translational Medicine and Life Sciences Technologies, NLA, and Alma Akhmetova, Junior researcher, NLA.

The prize will be given at the Conference of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society, which will be held on May, 2017 at Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

In this study our researchers analyzed the process of wound healing, which is often accompanied by bacterial infection or critical colonization, resulting in protracted inflammation, delayed reepithelization, and production of pungent odors. The malodor produced by these wounds may lower health-related quality of life and produce psychological discomfort and social isolation. Current management focuses on reducing bacterial activity within the wound site and absorbing malodorous gases. For example, charcoal-based materials have been incorporated into dressing for direct adsorption of the responsible gases. In addition, multiple topical agents, including silver, iodine, honey, sugar, and essential oils, have been suggested for incorporation into dressings in an attempt to control the underlying bacterial infection. This review described options for controlling malodor in chronic wounds, the benefits and drawbacks of each topical agent, and their mode of action. Authors also discussed the use of subjective odor evaluation techniques to assess the efficacy of odor-controlling therapies. The perspectives of employing novel biomaterials and technologies for wound odor management were also presented.